Luminfire – The Raggamuffin Sun Conundrum

Summer has been over for a few weeks now, but for the duration of this mixed set, let’s assume it hasn’t. Notions of fleece, yucky dead leaves and other autumn-related depression inducers may incite a welcome change for some, but I, for one, am already beginning to feel cheated. In attempt to express my utter revulsion for cold weather, here is a simple, on-the-fly mix incorporating some of my favorite summer tracks of ‘05, most of which have a dancehall orientation.

For those who haven’t paid attention, dancehall has not only seen a dramatic hoist in creativity and production techniques over the past few years, it’s managed to take the U.S. by storm. This is the first time I can remember foreigners being routinely represented to the stateside urban music audience (i.e., on the MTV these days, you’ll find Rihanna and Kevin Lyttle sandwiched in between The Game and Mike Jones.) Neat, huh?

00:00: Ms. Thing (feat. Switch) – “Love Guide” (Sequence)

Ms. Thing proclaims herself as “Jamaica’s first lady.” She broke through in 2004 with “Dude,” her collaboration with Beenie Man. Despite the fact that the heavy effects on her voice masked her character to a degree, the single was successful enough on an international scale to launch her solo work into quasi-mainstream territories. And while Ms. Thing may not have the strongest ragga cadence you’ll ever hear, she manages to carry a tune. The frantic “Love Guide” finds her clumsily melodic raps over a terrific, hard-hitting beat by Switch (now known as ¥£$ Productions).

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04:07: Jamesy P. (feat. M.I.A.) – “Nookie (Remix)” (Smoove)

“Nookie” has gotten a fair amount of flack for being a rather simple, uninspired tune. It’s even fallen victim to a minute spell of Stylus flogging. But despite any content-wise dissatisfactions, the track’s breezy, unconcerned nature is undeniably rather pleasing and comforting. It may not be essential soca, but it accomplishes the easygoing pace most soca joints reach for. The addition of M.I.A. proves to considerably boost the tolerance of the track. Maya is no stranger to dancehall configurations, but we’re so used to hearing her over loud, digital bangs and clangs. Somehow, her gentle verse makes so much sense atop a less aggressive beat. She even throws in two instances of “galang, galang,” as if we didn’t recognize her in the first place.

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07:25: Sean Paul – “Temperature” (Atlantic)

Aside from clearing a path for success for an entire new generation of dancehall artists in the states, Sean Paul is arguably the best at what he does. Production-wise, “Temperature” is more barebones than one might expect from Sean. The lyrics and downhearted melodies deal with cold weather (God forbid). At least the chorus has to do with keeping warm and saying bollocks to the frigid seasons: “Well ‘ooman, the way the time cold, I wanna be keeping you warm / I got the right temperature fi shelter you from the storm.” Hopefully, by “storm” he doesn’t mean “blizzard.” People ought not joke about such things.

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09:45: Part 2 (feat. Sandra Melody) – “Inna Crisis” (Big Dada)

One might assume by Part 2’s crystalline production that he could be a multi-millionaire super producer. The New Flesh beatmaker has been on the U.K. urban music circuit for the better part of a decade now. His new debut solo album is far more comprehensive than just a dancehall record, but the ragga-inflected “Inna Crisis,” featuring U.K. sing-rapper Sandra Melody (of “Diplo Rhythm” notoriety), is a near-perfect dancehall focus track.

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12:36: Lady Sovereign – “9 to 5 (¥£$ Vocal Mix)” (Universal)

So unless you ignore the internet like the elephant in the living room that no one mentions, you’ve heard tale of Lady Sov by now. And if you haven’t, Sov is a rapper. She’s also short, British, female and whiter than Peruvian blow. She looks like the miniaturized “If They Mated” spawn of Sporty Spice and JoJo. Words like “cheeky” and “batty” are part of her lean. And wouldn’t you know, Sov’s mongrel flow has won the hearts of record execs on both sides of the pond. She’s clearly on her way up. And while “9 to 5” might just be the least dancehall-leaning track of the bunch, its lyrics deal specifically with her inevitable rise to fame. ¥£$ Productions lend an amalgamation of grime and Baltimore club on the remix tip.

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15:41: Ari Up (feat. L.A. Lewis) – “Bashment” (Collision)

The career of the self-proclaimed “legendary punky reggae queen,” Ari Up, originated in the ‘70s with her band The Slits. While her three-foot dreads certainly demonstrate her age, Ari can still ride a beat fairly convincingly. However, she does seem to suffer from trying a big too hard, and it shows here and there. Ari’s new album, “Dread More Dan Dead” is almost 100% ragga, but it goes on the occasional punk tangent as to not upset her fans. People tend to make fun of me for my Ari tolerance, but I think they’re just jealous of her healthy eyebrows.

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19:08: Gwen Stefani (feat. Elan) – “Hollaback Girl (Dancehollaback Remix by Tony Kanal)” (Interscope)

What’s that? Why yes, I do like being obvious. And luckily, Tony Kanal offers up a remix far more colorful than The Neptunes’ original. He’s essentially taken the few good parts of the original (namely the marching band horns), and built a dancehall epic around them. It may not carry the next generation spunk of ¥£$ or South Rakkas, but it gets the job done. Gwen’s website reports that the original “Hollaback Girl” has just made “digital history” by exceeding one million digital downloads. Wow. For the first time, I truly believe the alleged “shit” does indeed belong to Gwen. I’d like to borrow it, but she seems pretty caught up in it for the time being.

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23:28: Annie – “Always Too Late (¥£$ Productions Remix)” (679)

Here’s the third and final appearance by the ¥£$ camp. I happen to think it’s the best of the three. It didn’t occur to me initially, but “Always Too Late” was begging for a rehash like this from the beginning. Annie’s vocal delivery is particularly well punctuated, and the implementation of a dancehall framework makes perfect sense. Quite frankly, the ¥£$ beat may indeed be the best I’ve heard of the sort, and this easily merits a nomination for remix of the year.

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26:17: Bus (feat. MC Rhino & MC Soom-T) – “Psychotic Episode” (~Scape)

German production duo Bus has a knack for customizing minimal dub stylings for the dancefloor. Never in my life have I felt the rare homeostasis between a desire to dance and a desire to chin stroke so strongly. Scottish rapper MC Soom-T lends her vocals throughout both of the Bus boys’ full lengths. Her delivery could be more easily likened to a stateside configuration rather than traditional Jamaicanese. And just for the record, we have reason to believe that “MC Rhino” is actually just a heavily processed Soom-T.

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31:09: Beck – “Black Tambourine (South Rakkas Crew Remix)” (Interscope)

A remix of this caliber begs the question: Does Beck deserve it? Whether or not you liked Guero is beside the point. The boundaries pushed with this remix far exceed those of anything off the album. In any case, it’s also better than any other commissioned remix of a Guero track thus far. The robotic drop/introduction is perhaps the only lagging element of the mix. Ah well, can’t have it all.

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34:30: Fannypack (feat. Mr. Vegas) – “Fire Fire (Prophecy Dancehall Mix)” (Tommy Boy)

“Fire Fire” is easily one of the better tracks off Fannypack’s May-released See You Next Tuesday. It’s what you might call the “token reggae track,” but the Mr. Vegas cameo thrusts it into near legitimacy, as his lively chant truly makes it all worthwhile. The girls’ on-the-dot rapping juxtaposes quite well, giving the song a crossover NYC vs. Kingston appeal. The “Prophecy Dancehall Mix” is included on the album as a bonus track and readies the song for the dancefloor.

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